Cormorant Species?

[Arthur Morris]

This bird was photographed today at the Barnegat Jetty in NJ. My gut says tells me that it is a Great Cormorant but without a field guide I am far from positive. I believe that there are some differences in bill shape and something different in the gular region...

[Isaac Green]

I agree looks like a juvi great -- blocky head, heavy grayish beak, and generally less orange around the eyes and light/white throat.

If you have a wider shot, a good mark in juvis is the Great has a light or white belly generally lighter than the neck, and the Double Crested a darker belly with a generally lighter neck.

[Robert Amoruso]

I agree it is a Great. Isaac has it right.

We also had a Great Cormorant here at Viera so I had to get familiar with them.

[Paul Guris]

Looks good for Great to me. Ironically, the light that makes this a good photo is crap for ID purposes. The bill looks like it has yellow-orange on the lower mandible on my monitor, but I believe that's just the light.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks and agree 100% after some recent head shots of dc corm....

[Myer Bornstein]

Yes it is a great comerant, white arounf the bill but less so in this bird

[john jackson]

This bird was photographed today at the Barnegat Jetty in NJ. My gut says tells me that it is a Great Cormorant but without a field guide I am far from positive. I believe that there are some differences in bill shape and something different in the gular region...

Check how the Great Cormorant's smaller patch of gular skin angles from the gape forward to the chin and compare that with a Double-crested Cormorant's more extensive bare skin angles downward below the gape.

I know you have an image or two of DCC, but this one from Bill Dix shows the skin particularly well: http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...sted-Cormorant

John